American Girl Doll Fans Shocked After Iconic Characters Get 'Modern Makeover'

American Girl announced a new line of modernized dolls Wednesday and fans are not happy.

The brand posted on Instagram about its Modern Era Collection. The upload showed a carousel of images comparing the new Modern Era dolls to their classic counterparts.

The new line reimagines beloved historical characters Felicity, Josefina, Kirsten, Addy, Samantha, and Molly through a "contemporary lens," according to a press release.

The dolls' modernized outfits have similar elements to the originals, which were historically accurate to their time periods. But now some have switched from long skirts to denim jeans. Others are dressed in modern minidresses or skirts. Their hair and accessories got updated too.

Fans took to social media to slam the brand. Many accused American Girl of making the dolls too skinny and giving them provocative outfits.

What People Are Saying

"Whose genius idea was it to take the historical American Girl Dolls, Ozempify them, and put them in a miniskirt?" one user wrote.

"Are the new American Girl dolls on Ozempic?" another asked.

"Excuse me, but what have they done to my girl Kirsten Larson? I think Mattel should be sued for what they've done to historical educational dolls. The f**k is this?" another fan wrote.

Someone pointed out it goes against the original concept of American Girl dolls. "Aren't American Girl Dolls/stories meant to specifically be made in their time period and explicitly NOT modern? Who asked for this???"

"Why exactly did they yassify American Girl dolls?" another asked.

One person got more specific about what bothers them. "The new modern American Girl Dolls are making me want to rip my hair out. The people making the outfits knew nothing about the girls, and they look so skinny and yassified. Part of the appeal for me as a kid was they felt like a friend, the weight and hug-ability were important."

Some People Like Them

Not everyone hates the Modern Era dolls. Some fans embraced the changes.

"I am probably the only one who thinks the modern era American Girl Dolls are cute! Have seen so many hate comments already in my feed. I was thinking I would have loved these as a kid in addition for the historical ones."

Another person suggested American Girl could've introduced a new generation to the classic dolls differently. "Build up the historical collections again to encourage literacy and love of history to your target demographic? It worked for three generations before Alpha. There's nothing to say it would not work again. You've lost the plot."

What American Girl Was Going For

The Modern Era Collection celebrates the brand's 40th anniversary.

American Girl is also announcing its first novel for adults, featuring Samantha Parkington as a grown-up. Bestselling author Fiona Davis wrote it. The book releases in October 2026 in the U.S. and Canada.

The Actual Issue

American Girl dolls were created to be historically accurate. That was the whole point. Each doll represented a specific time period. Felicity was Colonial America. Josefina was 1820s New Mexico. Kirsten was a Swedish immigrant in 1854. Addy escaped slavery during the Civil War. Samantha lived in 1904. Molly grew up during World War II.

The dolls came with books that taught kids about history. The outfits were accurate to the time periods. The accessories were accurate. The stories were educational.

Now American Girl took those historical characters and put them in miniskirts and jeans and called it a "contemporary lens." Fans say the dolls got "yassified."

Fans are calling it an Ozempic makeover because the dolls look skinnier, which seems like a pointless change. The original American Girl dolls had a specific body type that made them feel huggable and real to kids. The new dolls look much different. Like regular fashion dolls which misses the point of what makes them special.

American Girl is owned by Mattel, which also owns Barbie. Fans are pointing out the new dolls look more like Barbies than American Girl dolls. Which defeats the purpose of American Girl existing as a separate brand.

American Girl hasn't commented on the backlash yet.

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